I'm not willing to believe North Korea has any nuclear readiness. By the time the USSR was parading ICBMs through Red Square they had six (6) missiles with any operational readiness and they could be ready to launch on 48 hours notice. Yes they have missiles. yes they have nukes. Nukes on missiles you can launch at any moment is an order of magnitude more complicated.

North Korea has ample regional deterrence through sheer conventional weaponry, as well as a demonstrated willingness to use chemical weapons. Their nuclear program has certainly captivated the world's attention but any nuclear detonations associated with Korea are going to be local.

They don't have to. They just have to scare a certain somebody badly enough. Though, if that certain somebody gave the order to launch nukes, and nobody listened to him, I don't know what would happen next. Anarchy probably.

Dude you don't get to argue "they don't have to" when you just said "a big chunk of China" would get nuked. You're either making the point that China is in danger or you're not. You don't get to spasm out maladroit dudgeon to see what lands.

Though, if that certain somebody gave the order to launch nukes, and nobody listened to him, I don't know what would happen next.

Moreover, Defense Secretary James Schlesinger recalled years later that in the final days of the Nixon presidency he had issued an unprecedented set of orders: If the president gave any nuclear launch order, military commanders should check with either him or Secretary of State Henry Kissinger before executing them. Schlesinger feared that the president, who seemed depressed and was drinking heavily, might order Armageddon. Nixon himself had stoked official fears during a meeting with congressmen during which he reportedly said, “I can go in my office and pick up a telephone, and in 25 minutes, millions of people will be dead.” Senator Alan Cranston had phoned Schlesinger, warning about “the need for keeping a berserk president from plunging us into a holocaust.”

I think the further you are from the nitty-gritty of nukes the more determinist you are - there's this idea that the dude in the Oval Office says "cry havoc and unleash the dogs of war" and everyone on down the line goes "whelp, I guess that's it! Nice knowing you, honey, see you in Thunderdome" and we all start singing "Christmas at Ground Zero." There's a whole lot of people between order and execution and not a one of them was a bored real estate developer two years ago.

I didn't say that a big chunk of China would get nuked. I used too few words to describe the idea that any military engagement in NK would almost certainly lead to damage to the bits of China on the border.

My point about 'they don't have to' was to illustrate that perception is super important. If they are perceived to have fast-response capable nukes, then they are going to be treated as if they do.

Soft infrastructure in all of Korea will get destroyed in the first couple hours with conventional weapons after that it will be a long painful slog. Even if you beat the north eventually the entirety of the south will lie in ruin.